


Priceless

by craterdweller



Category: Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Genre: F/M, Post-Chosen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-06-29
Updated: 2014-06-29
Packaged: 2018-02-06 17:40:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 981
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1866603
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/craterdweller/pseuds/craterdweller
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Post-Chosen. Willow finds an antique cross while cleaning up the destruction caused by the Bringers.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Priceless

Willow Rosenberg wiped a grimy hand across her forehead as she closed another full box of items heading for the estate sale. She looked around in awe of the destruction caused by the Bringers. She glanced over at Giles who was squatting down in front of a dismembered bookcase. She wondered how he was handling the total destruction of the home that had been in his family for generations. She was about to ask, when something gold and delicate poked out from under one of the piles. She carefully moved the destroyed books aside to reveal an antique gold cross on a slender chain. She reached for it but then quickly pulled her hand back. Whoa. There was some serious magic on it. She took a letter opener and carefully lifted it up by the chain. “Giles? This looks valuable and has some serious magicks on it.” She held it up carefully for him to see.

Giles stared at the cross for a long moment. Several deflections passed through his head, but one look at Willow and he opted for the honest answer. “That cross has been in my family for many generations. Those that were watchers, swore an oath to their Slayer on it. They imbued it with a little piece of their soul that bound them to their Slayer’s service and offered a bit of protection. Upon their deaths the cross was returned to the family until the next watcher was assigned a slayer.”

“Giles? Why didn’t you give this to Buffy?”

He sighed. “Well, Angel gave her the cross that she seemed to favor… And then later, well, it just wasn’t something she would have wanted from me. It’s of no value now, at any rate.” He turned and went back to sorting the books.

Willow could see that he was uncomfortable but imbuing an object with a piece of your soul was big. “Giles?” She hesitated, not sure how to formulate the question.

But Giles knew what she meant. “It’s fine, Willow. Those without magic won’t be able to detect anything out of the ordinary. It’s not corruptible in any way that is a danger to the slayers, even by those with magic. If it would make you feel better, put it in the pile to be destroyed.”

“But what about the piece of your soul? What will happen to it when the necklace is destroyed?”

He shrugged without looking up from his task.

Willow was about to read him the riot act about being so cavalier about his soul when Buffy slipped quietly into the room. One look at her best friend and she knew that Buffy had heard the entire conversation. When Buffy gently took the necklace from her, Giles shivered. _Not of any consequence my patootie._ She slipped out of the room and closed the door behind her.

Giles felt the shiver of magic pass through him and he wondered what the devil Willow had just done. He’d forgotten the cross had been left in this room, otherwise he would have sorted it alone. He stood, turning to face Willow and froze. For it wasn’t Willow, but his Slayer that held the cross. And not by the letter opener. She held the cross delicately in her hands, examining it the fading light.

“It’s beautiful, Giles. Why did you think that I wouldn’t wear it?”

He looked down at floor. He shrugged trying desperately to pretend that he was calm.

“Giles?” Buffy had stepped closer and she wasn’t going to let him avoid answering.

Still looking at the floor, he replied, “Well, I knew how much Angel’s cross meant to you, and then afterwards, after your eighteenth birthday, well, I wasn’t your Watcher anymore…”

“Giles.”

“Its tainted, Buffy, like me. My soul, it, it wasn’t pure. And I betrayed my oath to protect you and you don’t need a Watcher, not one like me at any rate.” It all tumbled out from him, despite his efforts to keep it buried, like a boil that had been lanced.

“Giles.” She carefully wrapped her arms around him from behind. She could feel him trembling with effort to keep all the emotions bottled up. She laid her head against his back. “Giles, you are _not_ tainted.” She tightened her grip when she felt him shake his head to argue. “No. I know tainted. Slayer here, remember. Kinda have the whole evil radar thing going. And we’ve both made mistakes that have hurt each other, because we’re human and not perfect. Including me saying some really stupid stuff about having nothing left to learn from you. But you will always be _my_ Watcher. Now, I’d really love it, if you’d put this on me.” She heard him audibly swallow and mistook it for hesitation. “Unless you’d rather I not have it. I mean, maybe I don’t deserve it, I’ve been so horrible to you and...”

He stopped her with his customary hand to her shoulder. When she looked into his eyes she could see tears standing in them. “I’d be honored, Buffy.” He took the necklace and gently fastened the clasp. It glowed a bright green for a second and they both felt a shiver of strong magic as the binding became fully activated. They didn’t dare move for the tension between them.

Needing to break the tension Buffy asked with an impish grin, “Bound to my service, huh. Does that mean you have to cook me dinner? And clean my weapons?”

“You mean the things that I’ve done all these years?” He rolled his eyes.

She continued teasing as they headed out to find the others, “Ooh, I know, do you have to buy me shoes?”

“Ha, bloody, ha! Do I have to feed you grapes as well?”

“Oh definitely. And …”

Willow smiled as they pair passed by arm in arm, happy to see them laughing together again.

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> Cottoncandy_bingo prompt: Heirloom/Antique


End file.
